Konoha no Yoko: Chuunin Exams - The Final Rounds
by Azteka
Summary: I don't give a damn if you're the Daimyo himself! What you did was reckless! You put my son at risk of exposure thanks to that stunt of yours!
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Disclaimer:**_

 _ **Naruto is a trademark of Shonen Jump Graphic Novels and Viz Media. The characters and original storyline belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is my version of "Naruto"; please read and enjoy. Remember constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **Azteka**_

 _ **PS Sorry 'bout this being posted late. I really have no excuses. Enjoy!**_

 _ **~Prologue~**_

Far from the arena where young warriors battled, show-casing not only their strength but the strength of their villages, a young man's focus wavered from the lecture he was giving to the next generation of warriors. It was not because the material was dry and boring. It was because the young man was worried about one of the warriors battling in the arena. He was worried and wondered how that particular warrior, the son of his heart, had done.

Had his heart-son won his matches? Will his heart-son progress to the next challenge? Was his heart-son injured? These thoughts danced in his mind each time he happened to glance out the window toward the arena.

During a moment of inattentive, one of the young man's student noticed his distraction. The little boy perked up and turned to his neighbor, whispering about the instructor's distraction and suggested they sneak away.

"HEY!" Iruka shouted when he caught the two boys conspiring with one another, "Konohamaru! Trying to play hooky again, huh?"

"I…" Konohamaru stuttered, "I need to use the bathroom, sir!"

* * *

Meanwhile in another part of Konoha and equally far away from the Chuunin arena, a pair of figures hidden in the shadows looked upon the arena with disinterest. One of the two knelt on his left knee before his companion, his superior, who was casually leaning against a pillar.

"The preliminaries have safely concluded." The kneeling one reported, "They will now proceed to the finals."

The standing man gave no indication that he had heard the other. He was just standing there, taking in the beautiful scenery.

"How tranquil…" The man murmured before sneering, "Or rather how naively peaceful this nation has become… while all the other countries are busy with military expansion races…"

"So if we strike now…?"

"Well, yes…" He replied wistfully, "Although I doubt it would be any fun to kill that feeble old geezer…"

"Are you so sure of yourself…?" The kneeling man challenged, causing the other to glare.

"To me," The kneeling one explained himself, "it still seems like you're faltering…"

The standing man remained quiet, and his glare did not lessen its intensity.

"Soon," The other continued, "The powers of each Hidden Village will collide and enter a fierce, lengthy conflict. Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village, will be one of those involved, and you're planning to be the trigger of that.

"And to that end, that boy…" The Oto ninja pushed his glasses up his nose, "He's a bullet, right? Uchiha Sasuke, wasn't it?"

The Oto leader chuckled darkly.

"Your insight are disgustingly accurate." He praised.

"Well, obviously not." The glasses-wearing shinobi countered, "Because I didn't know about Dosu, Zaku and Kin. When I was assigned to gather intelligence on Sasuke, I wanted to understand the power of those three Sound ninja. I made a foolish tactical error… I even provoked them into attacking me and over-estimated my own defenses."

The kneeling Oto paused for a moment after admitting his own foolishness.

"It seems you still don't put your full trust in me."

"Those three are so inconsequential…" The standing Sound shinobi replied, "Is it really necessary for me to tell you of such trivialities? You're my right-hand man… that itself is evidence of my trust."

The glasses-wearing ninja looked at his superior with a small self-pleasing smile.

"That's why," The Oto superior continued, "I was thinking of entrusting Sasuke to you. The curse mark I put on him… it seems it's been sealed by that pesky Kakashi; not that it's of much consequence. But before the darkness in his soul is extinguished, I want you to kidnap him right away."

"How unlike you…" The Sound subordinate commented, "You're worried."

"There _**is**_ something causing me a bit of concern…"

"You mean… Uzumaki Naruto?" He breathlessly asked as he felt a shot of arousal course through him at the mere thought of the petite blonde.

The Oto superior stared at his most trusted subordinate. He knew of his subordinate's predilections for pretty young girls so it surprised him to hear the other's dark desire for the boy.

"Sasuke is an embodiment of vengeance." He began, "His sole reason for living is the desire to kill his older brother. Until he achieves that goal, he cannot die. And yet… when we fought each other he knew he couldn't prevail against me, he came at me without any fear of death. I hadn't thought he was a child who would rush so eagerly to his demise.

"And according to your notes, it seems his contact with the nine-tailed fox child is changing Sasuke's purpose and soul." He looked at his subordinate and noted the murderous aura rolling off of him. He found it surprised him to realize that his subordinate was jealous of Sasuke's connection with the fox child. "Since Naruto possesses so much influence over Sasuke, I must separate them immediately. And once separated, you can stain Naruto with your colors."

The glasses-wearing ninja shuddered as he licked his lips in anticipation and his pupils were blown with desire.

"Now…" The Oto superior commanded, "You may go! I'm putting my trust in you."


	2. Chapter 2

_**~Scroll 1~**_

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

A grey-haired man sighed as he quietly crossed the hospital room, leaving behind him three bodies of the village's elite warriors, the ANBU. In the center of the hospital room, his target laid. His target was a young man of about twelve years old and was heavily sedated. The boy's eyes were covered in bandages while he was connected to several leads and an oxygen mask.

The grey-haired man stood next to the hospital bed and looked at the twelve year old, whom his superior desired.

"An excess of brilliance can be a disadvantage." The grey-haired ninja casually remarked to the unconscious teen, "Then again if you had not stood out too much, you wouldn't have caught Lord Orochimaru's eye, and I would never have found such a delectable pet as I had in Naruto…"

The grey-haired shinobi swiftly pulled out a scalpel when he sensed a sudden spike of protectiveness.

SHOOM!

SNATCH.

"Only you, Kakashi," The Oto Nin grinned when his scalpel was caught by the infamous silvery-haired Konoha Jounin, "would think to stop my attack from my blind spot."

"You're no ordinary Genin, are you?" Kakashi asked, "You made your attack immediately upon noticing my presence… you're pretty impressive."

"No," The glasses-wearing shinobi corrected, "I'm not so great but then again neither are you for letting your emotions to give you away."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes on his opponent, who was far too calm for the silvery-haired shinobi's tastes.

"What do you want with Naruto? With Sasuke?" Kakaski asked, "Depending on the circumstances, I'll have to arrest and interrogate you."

The Oto ninja final turned around with a smile that made Kakashi's instincts scream _kill._

"I wonder if you can." The intruder purred, "…someone like you…?"

"You want to test 'someone like me'?!" Kakashi was immediately suspicious of this ninja, who had successfully fooled the best of Konoha's ninja for years. This intruder was skilled enough to kill three of Konoha's ANBU, Black Ops soldiers, with ease.

"What are you?!" Kakashi questioned, "You're the son of a Konoha doctor, right? A perpetual failure of a ninja… your name is Kabuto, yes?"

Kabuto remained silent for a moment then, "Next time, you should probably ready at least ten guards."

"Just shut up and answer my questions." Kakashi's tone darkned. He did not forget the tone Kabuto used when he said Naruto's name; a tone that sent shivers down Kakashi's spine and flared his protective instincts.

"And what if I refuse?" Kabuto taunted.

"I'm the one asking the questions here…" Kakashi stated, "Are you in league with Orochimaru?"

Kabuto smiled.

"If you arrest me, here now, you might never be able to prove my connection to Orochimaru. No matter what kind of torture or genjutsu you inflict upon me, I won't spill a single secret…" Kabuto honestly answered, "And besides, I don't really like confrontations. It'll come out eventually, so why don't you just let it go for now?"

Kakashi did not answer, only pulled out a kunai.

"You won't just release me, then?" Kabuto remarked as he too pulled out a kunai to defend himself with.

"You know the laws of this village." Kakashi answered, "How spies are dealt with."

Kabuto's smile never wavered.

"You're acting awfully smug, considering that the circumstances are in my favor…"

It was barely noticeable to even the most trained eye, but Kakashi could not stop the subconscious tensing of his body, especially when Kabuto placed his kunai mere breathes away from Sasuke's carotid artery.

The message was clear: _move and the Uchiha heir was dead_.

They were at an impasse. Kakashi did not know how long they just stood there waiting for someone to make the first move. Suddenly, Kabuto twitched; giving Kakashi the opening he needed.

The silvery-haired shinobi charged, appearing instantly before Kabuto. Kakashi knocked Kabuto's kunai away with his own and placed a well-placed kick to the traitor's side.

While Kakashi's focus was on Kabuto, one of the dead ANBU jumped to life and attempted to escape. The dead ANBU's escape was stopped when he saw a second Kakashi, a shadow doppelganger. The dead ANBU stepped back, watching the two Kakashi slowly approach. It was trapped. The only escape it could find was through the window. Without any other options, a second dead ANBU suddenly jumped to life and threw four kunai at key points at the window, weakening its integrity, and then it jumped out of the window.

Kakashi rushed to the window, watching as the second dead ANBU removed his mask and revealing Kabuto's face.

The first dead ANBU then collapsed to the floor and Kakashi walked over to the unresponsive body with Kabuto's face. He found extremely fine and delicate stitching along the fake Kabuto's jaw behind the ear. He looked at the two corpses and sighed; realizing that Kabuto had used the **Shikon no Jutsu, the Art of Dead Souls**. It was a technique that temporarily restored a cadaver's heart beat and allowed for the corpse to be manipulated by the Jutsu caster.

The traitor's ploy was extremely thorough in that Kabuto even erased the strench of death. Kakashi mentally noted that Kabuto took a bit after his adopted father, the Chief of the Medical Corps, in that the Chief enjoyed trifling with corpses. Kakashi ran his hand through his hair; knowing that with such a talented ninja under Orochimaru's thumb, Kakashi's job just became that much harder.


	3. Chapter 3

_**~Scroll 2~**_

Back at the Chuunin Exams, the Chuunin applicants were dismissed to start their month long training for their final bout.

A petite blonde watched his other competitors walk away. He felt his ghostly companion place a comforting hand on his shoulder. While the gesture comforted the blonde, it also caused a pang of sorrow for another companion he no longer can hear. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his. Looking up, the blonde smiled at his litter-mate.

"I'm worried." She said while tightening her hold around the smaller boy.

A pair of beautiful oceanic blue orbs stared at the pinkette with curiosity and concern.

"You'll be going up against the best and most likely the most dangerous contenders that the other villages have to offer." She continued, "What are you going to do, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked and looked around him. His littler-mate was right about the other contenders. He also knew because of what he was, he was not going to get much help from the village's higher ranking shinobi. There was only two ninja that he could turn to for help: his father of his heart, Iruka, and his current sensei, Kakashi. And although he knew if asked, Kakashi would be more than happy to help train him. Unfortunately, Naruto also knew that the village council would not allow it. They would order Kakashi to train Sasuke, and Sasuke alone. The official reasoning would be because of the Sharingan Eye. With no other Sharingan wielder in the village, Kakashi was the only one who can train Sasuke to wield the famed Uchiha bloodline to its fullest potentials.

But the truth of the matter was that the village council did not want Naruto to advance in ranks. They did not want him to grow powerful that they cannot control him. To the village council, he was only a weapon to be used when needed and dismissed when not needed. Unlike the other shinobi of the village, Naruto was expendable in the eyes of the village council and therefore would not receive proper training.

"Naruto?" His litter-mate called when she sensed his melancholy, "Is everything okay?"

Naruto gave her a sorrowful smile.

No, nee-chan," He answered, "but there's not much I can do about it."

The pinkette frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Nee-chan? Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked instead of answering.

Her frown became more pronounced but knew that if her little brother did not wish to answer, he would not answer.

"He's probably with Sasuke." She replied with a sigh.

"Do you think they'll let us see him?" Naruto asked.

"Dunno." She answered, "But let's go find out."

* * *

The walk to Konoha Hospital was uneventful. Not even the sneers that were being sent Naruto's way could stop the calm and peace that enveloped two of three Team Seven Genin.

"Hello, Haruno-chan." One of two receptionist greeted the pair, completely ignoring the petite blonde beside the pinkette, "What can we help you with?"

"We would like to visit Sasuke." Haruno Sakura politely asked but mentally frowned at the obvious dismissive attitude the receptionists have toward her little brother.

"Of course!" The receptionist smiled, "You're such a good teammate to check up on him. Let's see… ah! Yes, he's been moved to another room… Room 213."

"Thank you!" Sakura replied and began to walk toward the elevator when she heard a cold and vicious voice call out, "And where do you think you're going, demon?!"

Sakura immediately turned around and was absolutely shocked to see the receptionist, who had been so friendly toward her, look at her little brother as if he was some sort of enemy of the village. She did not know what to do, especially when she watched Naruto just close his eyes and sighed in resignation.

"Naruto?" Sakura called, startling the receptionist, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah…" Naruto lied.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the blatant lie but did not push the issue

"Well, c'mon lets go see Sasuke." She stated instead.

"He's not allowed!" The receptionist suddenly shouted, surprising the pinkettte.

"What?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Hospital policy!" The receptionist lied, "Only one visit allowed. You may go but _he_ ," The receptionist sneered, "must wait outside of the building."

"What?!" Sakura shouted.

She might have bought the 'one visitor allowed' since she knew with seriously injured shinobi, hospital policy dictated only one visitor at a time to avoid seriously stressing said injured shinobi. However, Sasuke was not seriously injured – at least that she was aware of, but to force her little brother to wait _outside_ when the waiting room was completely empty, that send blaring red-flags in her mind that something was seriously wrong with the hospital.

"Why should he wait outside?!" Sakura demanded.

"This is a hospital, Haruno-chan." The receptionist commented as if it was the most natural response, "We can't have him contaminating the hospital."

"Execuse me?!" Sakura shrieked.

"Nee-chan, stop." Naruto whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop?!" Sakura shouted, "Why should I stop? Did you hear what she's saying?!"

Sakura could not believe that her little brother was accepting this type of abuse. But looking into his eyes, the pinkette came to a horrible realization. Her sweet, kind little brother was _used_ to it, which meant this behavior was neither new nor an isolated incident. Sakura rounded on the receptionist and was about to let her have it when…

"Sakura, you're in a hospital." Kakashi-sensei appeared.

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto sighed in relief.

Sakura turned to her sensei, also ready to give _him_ a piece of her mind when she noticed _his_ killing intent as he stared at the receptionists, who apparently had enough self-preservation to flee.

"Nee-chan, go see Sasuke before visiting hours are over." Naruto said, "I have to talk to Kakashi-sensei about my training."

Sakura turned to Naruto, who smiled gently at her and began pulling their sensei away.

* * *

Naruto managed to pull his sensei to a nearby tea-house, and although he got several sneers and jeers, Naruto was thankful that he was not being kicked out. However, just because he was not being kicked out, the blonde knew he was not going to get fair treatment. When the waitress eventually arrived at their table, Naruto opted not to order.

Kakashi, on the other hand, ordered for the two of them and bluntly stated it was his treat in celebration of Naruto making it to the final rounds of the Chuunin Exams. Naruto blushed and whispered a quiet 'thank you' to his sensei. Their order took longer than necessary, and Kakashi blatantly switched his drink and treat with his student. Judging by the waitress' sudden pale complexion, it was obvious that the staff must have done something to Naruto's drink and treat. The waitress swiftly removed the contaminated drink and food, returning with a fresh cup of tea and treat.

Kakashi just glared at everyone, daring them to say anything.

"I want to ask you to train me, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, drawing the Jounin's attention away from the patron and staff, "But I know that it won't happen."

Kakashi frowned.

"I would be honored to train you, Naruto." Kakashi replied, "Just ask."

"I can ask, but we both know you won't be able to."

"Oh?"

"Officially, you're the only one in the village, who can train Sasuke in the use of the Sharingan." Naruto explained.

A subtle crack could be heard. Kakashi's grip on his tea cup tightened, causing it to crack. Kakashi was pissed because it was the truth.

"Let's not discuss the unofficial reason." Kakashi suggested. Naruto only nodded then looked at his tea, lost in thought. "At the moment, Sasuke is going to need several days to recover before he can begin his training."

Naruto looked up and stared at his sensei.

"I can train you until then."

"Won't you get in trouble with the council?"

"Let me worry about." Kakashi wrapped a hand around his student's smaller hand, "I'll also try to find you another teacher to take over when the council gives me the order."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Kakashi answered with absolute conviction.

* * *

Later that evening in one of Konoha's many aeries, Kakashi watched as his message flew away. He hoped that his message reach its intended target soon because he worried that once Sasuke regained consciousness, the council will order him to train the Uchiha Heir. Kakashi knew that no other village Jounin would be willing to teach his bundle of sunshine. Most of the Jounin corps were either Genin or Chuunins when the Nine-Tailed Fox demon attacked Konoha and therefore did not the truth about the Kyuubi's defeat.

Only those of ANBU rank, past and present, knew the truth and they were few and far between. They knew that Naruto was merely the _jailhouse_ for the powerful demon. Kakashi did not know how the rumor that Naruto _was_ the demon made into human got started, but it did and it became the villagers and the low ranking shinobi's truth. At the time, he did not know why the Hokage allowed that rumor to persist. He had asked once, when the Copy-Nin had first heard the rumor, and the Hokage's answer just baffled him then.

 _"To keep them from looking too closely at the boy."_

Now, however, Kakashi understood what the Hokage was attempting to do. He was attempting to keep Naruto's _true_ heritage a secret; not the blonde's paternal heritage but his maternal heritage. To be a Child of Kami in a world of death and destruction was a death sentence for the child. It made Kakashi wonder on who else knew or at least suspected the truth about Naruto.

Suddenly, light footsteps broke his wondering thoughts.

"I'm calling in my chip." Kakashi said as a greeting.

"Ye-yes, Master Kakashi." The other shinobi stuttered in surprise.

It was not uncommon for ninja to owe each other favors, especially ninja within the same village. Nor was it uncommon for those favors to be cashed in. However, what was uncommon was Kakashi calling in on one of what could possibly be a number of favors. A number of other shinobi often joked that the infamous Copy-Nin hoarded his favors like a dragon hoarding gold.

"You will train Naruto." Kakashi stated.

"Wh-what?!" The Nin gasped in surprise, "Yo-you want to cash in your favor for that?!"

The ninja suddenly gasped and took a step back as he was hit by an intensive wave of killing intent. The very air became too hot and thick to breath properly. He dropped to his knees when his legs failed to keep him upright. At first, he thought they were being ambushed, but he quickly realized it was not an ambush; it was Master Kakashi and he was _livid_.

"I don't care what your personal bias toward Naruto is." The enraged Jounin growled, "You owe me."

"Ye-yes, Ma-Master Ka-Kakashi."

"Be ready when I call you." The silvery-haired Nin instructed and then disappeared.

The trembling Nin gasped as he was finally able to breath. The small lizard part of his brain whispered that he was lucky and that he should not provoke the Dog again.

* * *

"Is everything alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked when he saw his sensei the next morning.

"Hm… yes, I didn't have a good night is all." Kakashi replied. After his meeting last night, Kakashi had to blow off some steam and ended up nearly destroying one of the training grounds.

"Okay." Naruto accepted his sensei's answer even though he could still hear the hard edge in his sensei's Heart Song. Whatever provoked the usually laid-back man still bothered him. "So, what will we cover today?"

Hopefully, today's lesson would distract the older man's rage.

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, sensing his bundle of sunshine was trying to distract him from his anger.

"I was thinking we work on your chakra control." Kakashi replied. He chuckled when he saw Naruto wince. "Naruto, it's not your fault that your control is…"

"Iffy?" Naruto's voice was small.

"Yes, iffy." Kakashi nodded, "The problem lies in the fact that you have extraordinary stamina."

Naruto frowned a bit with a thoughtful expression.

"Is it my own or…" The blonde trailed off.

Kakashi shrugged and honestly replied, "It might be a contributing factor, but the fact remains because of your stamina being what it is, it's effecting your control on your chakra; you either create too much or too little."

"The fundamentals…" Naruto whispered with a nod of his head.

"What?" Kakashi asked, curious about his student's comment.

"Everything comes down to the fundamentals." Naruto stated, "A ninja can know a thousand techniques and still be weak because he lacks the fundamentals. A ninja can know only one technique and be the most powerful because he knows the fundamentals."

Suddenly, a screeching sound caught Naruto's attention, causing him to miss his sensei's slightly pale complexion.

Kakashi had heard those lines before. He had heard them when he was with the ANBU, and he was partnered with a young shinobi. He had thought the lines were strange coming from his partner, considering his partner's family was all about power. His partner then explained that it was his cousin, who told him those lines; his _dead_ cousin.

 _Where did Naruto hear them?_ Kakashi thought.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto's voice was hollow, snapping the Jounin out of his daze.

Dark eyes met with dimmed blue orbs; making Kakashi want to kill something or more like someone.

"Sasuke's been released from the hospital."


	4. Chapter 4

_**~Scroll 3~**_

Kakashi and Naruto walked in silence as they went to meet Naruto's teacher. They both knew that once Sasuke was healed, the council would order Kakashi to teach and train the Uchiha Heir. However, what they did not anticipate was the council overruling Sasuke's medical team's recommendation for at least a week's rest and observation. The boy's chakra coils were barely stable, and the council just authorized the boy's release!

Kakashi was fuming. Not only was the council sabotaging Naruto's chances of success, but they were also compromising the Uchiha's health. _And all for what?!_ Kakashi mentally growled, _For a cursed eye?!_

A small hand reached out for his own, sending a warm rush through him and calming him down. Kakashi took a deep breath and squeezed Naruto's hand.

"Thank you." He mumbled.

Naruto smiled then frowned.

"Isn't that Konohamaru's teacher, Ebisu?" Naruto asked.

"It is. I asked him to train you on your chakra control." Kakashi replied then turned to the dark clothed shinobi, "Isn't that right, Ebisu?"

There was a dark undertone in Kakashi's question that Ebisu knew if he did not answer correctly, he was going to regret it.

"Ye-yes, Master Kakashi!" Ebisu replied.

Naruto arched a brow then looked at Ebisu.

"And what about Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, "Surely, his training isn't complete."

"Of course not." Ebisu snapped then coughed in nervousness when he spotted the dark warning glare from the silvery-haired Jounin, "It's just since Konohamaru is at the Academy, my schedule has been… eh… rather open…"

"Besides," Kakashi interjected, "it's only temporary."

"Temporary?" Naruto asked while looking at his sensei.

"I sent a message to a more qualified teacher, but I don't know when he'll receive the message nor do I know how quickly he'll be able to get to the village. So until he arrives, Ebisu will train you."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding.

"Good luck…" Kakashi whispered as he turned to leave.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called, making the Jounin to turn around, "Be careful."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask.

"I think we've only delayed the Darkness." Naruto replied, "Too many strings have snapped in his Song."

"Are you certain?" Kakashi asked, knowing what his student was saying.

They had only delayed Orochimaru's influence over the Uchiha Heir. The boy's desire for revenge was going to overrule his loyalty to the village, and one day he will betray the village. Unfortunately, no one in the village or on the council wanted to believe what was in front of their eyes.

"I want to be wrong." Naruto whispered.

"I'll watch myself. You focus on your training." Kakashi sighed.

"Hai."

* * *

Naruto gave his sensei a baleful look as they stood outside an onsen.

Ebisu cleared his throat as he fidgeted under the scrutiny he found himself under.

"Eh… we'll be using the hot springs to train." Ebisu remarked while pushing his glasses up.

"The hot springs?" Naruto repeated.

"Yes."

"And why are we training at the hot springs?"

Ebisu found his confidence to smirk.

"We're going to walk on water!"

A delicate brow arched.

"Master Kakashi told me that you'd already mastered the no-hands tree climbing exercise." Ebisu explained himself, "This takes it to the next level! For tree climbing, you only need to gather a requisite amount of chakra in the requisite place and just maintain that set volume of chakra the whole time.

"Because the tree is a stationary object, all you have to do is keep your foot attached like a suction cup… it's an exercise that demonstrates how to produce and maintain a set amount of chakra. In order to walk on water, however, you have to continuously emit a tiny amount of chakra from your feet into the water's surface, constantly adjusting that amount to just allow your body to float.

"This type of chakra control is more difficult than mere maintenance, and is a type of control exercise where you learn to regulate your expenditure of a fixed quantity of chakra!" Ebisu lectured then clasped his hands together, "First, you gather chakra to the sole of your feet. Then, while you continuously emit a set amount…" He then walked onto the water, "you fine-tune it to your body weight…"

Ebisu stood in the middle of the hot spring, feeling rather smug at the surprised look on the blonde's face.

"Alright." Naruto took a deep breath and clasped his hands together, "Let's give this a try. First, chakra to my soles… and then release a set amount…"

SPLOOSH!

"Just as I expected…" Ebisu muttered as Naruto's head breached the water's surface, "You did not emit enough chakra to remain a float."

Naruto glared at the shinobi before swimming to the shore to begin again. He began again; only to drop into the waters once more.

Ebisu was impressed by the blonde's persistence but then remembered something his student, Konohamaru, had once said. Konohamaru had told him that there was no shortcuts to becoming Hokage; just hard work. When Ebisu asked his young student on who taught him that philosophy, Ebisu was surprised to learn that it was the blonde.

"Hey!" Naruto's cheer caught Ebisu's attention, "I think I'm starting to get it!"

Ebisu was surprised at how quickly the blonde picked up the chakra control. The blonde was standing on the water. True, his stance was wobbly and he was standing as if in an ankle deep puddle. But he was standing on water.

"Oh…!" Naruto gasped as he pointed behind Ebisu before falling into the water.

Ebisu turned around and saw what had caught the blonde's attention. It was a long white-haired stranger, appearing to be peering through the cracks of the fence into the women's baths. Ebisu immediately lunged toward the intruder, who turned around to the sudden noise of rushing feet.

"Sheesh…" The intruder muttered as he summoned a giant toad.

"Y-you're…!" Ebisu gasped when he realized who the intruder was.

The toad snapped its tongue, attacking Ebisu and knocking him out.

"Don't make a fuss, sheesh." The intruder remarked from his perch on top of the toad. "You'll get us busted, and what'll we do then?!"

Naruto instinctively pulled himself out of the water and rushed over to Ebisu. Checking for a pulse, the blonde sighed in relief that the other ninja was knocked out cold.

 _"A giant toad?!"_ Shisui gapped with an open mouth, like a fish out of water, _"Oh! Kami! That's the Toad Sage! Jiraiya!"_

"I am supposed to be impress?" Naruto grumbled.

He may not have liked the idea of Ebisu being his teacher, but the ninja was all he had until his actual teacher that Kakashi-sensei had promised arrived.

"Good question!" Jiraiya bellowed in good cheer. "I am the most holy hermit sage of the Mount Myoboku Toads, otherwise known as the Toad Sage. Pleased to meet ya!"

Naruto gave the eccentric shinobi a deadpan look. Even though the man gave a jovial font, his Heart Song presented a man full of remorse and guilt. His Heart Song battered against Naruto to the point the petite blonde did know if he should give the man a hug or just flee.

 _"Naruto, you okay?"_ Shisui asked when he noticed Naruto's discomfort around the Sennin.

Naruto shook his head then turned to tend to the downed ninja.

"Eh…" The white haired ninja seemed to be flummoxed by the blonde's lack of reaction as he went about to make the unconscious Konoha ninja comfortable. "Perhaps you know me from my writings? I'm a writer… I write novels…!"

Naruto perked up a bit as Shisui gasped, _"Oh no! Oh hell no!"_

Jiraiya pulled out a familiar looking orange book and proudly presented it to the young Genin.

"Oh!" Naruto looked surprised at seeing his sensei's book in the other man's hands.

"Oh! You've heard of it?" Jiraiya grinned.

" 'tousan told me about it after I stole Kakashi-sensei's book." Naruto nodded, " 'tousan said it was a poorly written porn disguised as a romantic novel with an easily decipherable plot and weak two-dimensional characters."

Jiraiya was slacked jaw at Naruto, who just shrugged.

Shishui was howling in laughter.

" 'tousan said he could write better porn without it being explicit." Naruto remarked then furrowed his brows together. "Whatever that means."

Jiraiya sputtered in indignation while Shisui was still laughing.

Naruto looked back at the water and sighed. Since Ebisu was still unconscious, the blonde might as well continue with the exercise. Ignoring his two companions, Naruto removed his top then approached the edge of the spring. He took a deep breath, gathering his chakra and stepped onto the water. He made it a few steps before plunging into the water.

When Naruto popped back up for air, he was surprised to see Jiraiya standing over him. He held out his hand for Naruto to take. Naruto placed a smaller hand into the man's larger one, letting out a surprised 'eep' when he pulled the blonde out of the water.

"Hey…" Jiraiya started as he placed Naruto on dry land, "manipulate your chakra for me one more time."

Naruto looked at him curiously before nodding his head. Naruto began gathering his chakra. Unbeknownst to him, the seal, which trapped Ka'a within him, appeared; however, there was another seal over the original.

Jiraiya stared at the seals. The Toad Sage was impressed by the Fourth Hokage's ingenuity in protecting the boy. But it was the Five-Pronged seal that worried him. Placing an odd-numbered seal on an even-numbered seal, it was unstable and resulted in the blonde unable to properly mold his chakra. Based on the formula's coarse design, Jiraiya knew this was the work of someone else; most likely Orochimaru.

"Kiddo, come over here for a sec." Jiraiya called, hiding his hand behind his back while focusing his chakra to his fingertips.

Curiously, Naruto approached the bigger shinobi.

 _"Kuso!"_ Shisui cursed as soon as he realized what the Sennin was plotting, _"Watch out!"_

His warning, however, came too late as Jiraiya slammed his fingers into Naruto's abdomen; releasing the crudely made Five-Pronged Seal.

An explosion of repressed chakra engulfed the entire area.

Jiraiya found himself blown off his feet, falling head over heels into the fence separating the women's baths from the open bath.

There was screaming all around; however, Shisui paid none of the destruction any mind as his focus was on Naruto, who remained at the epicenter of all this chaos.

The petite blonde's head was thrown back. His mouth was opened in a silent scream while his eyes fought for a dominant color. Was it blue? Was it red? Shisui could not tell.

And just as sudden was the explosion, the chaos immediately settled as Naruto collapsed.

Immediately, Shisui came to the teen's side.

 _"Hey, kiddo,"_ Shisui whispered as he laid a ghostly hand through the blonde's locks, _"you okay?"_

"Ka'a…" Naruto groaned with a smile, "I feel 'im…"

 _"That's good to hear. Tell that stupid fox he's been missed."_

"'kay… tai-tai…"

 _"Sleep. I'll keep watch."_


	5. Chapter 5

_**~Scroll 4~**_

"What the hell did you do to my son?!" Iruka hissed as he stared down the white haired Nin.

Jiraiya arched a brow at the Chuunin's daring. His gaze flickered toward the silvery-haired Jounin standing by Naruto's door.

"Don't look at Kakashi!" Iruka ordered, "I'm talking to you!"

Both brows disappeared beneath an ornate hitai-ate.

"I don't give a damn if you're the Daimyo himself! What you did was reckless! You put my son at risk of exposure thanks to that stunt of yours! Did it not cross your mind to explain to him what you were going to do?! If you had! He would have warned you of what would happen! He would have told you that you should go to one of the training grounds, where no one can get hurt! As it stands because of your idiocy, twenty-three… 23! People got hurt from the backlash!

"Twenty-three people who will no doubt blame my son because you did not take the time to think about the fucking consequence of all that chakra suddenly being released!" Iruka suddenly rounded on Kakashi, who immediately tensed, "And you! What the hell?! You were supposed to be training him! Not pawn him off on another Jounin! What happened to your deal? You were going to train him until Sasuke was released from the hospital!"

"He was." Kakashi quietly replied.

"What?!" Iruka gasped, "What do you mean 'he was'?!"

"Sasuke was released from the hospital earlier today." Kakashi explained; not bothering in hiding his opinion about that from Jiraiya and Iruka, "And shortly after that, I got my orders to train him. Naruto and I knew it would happen, which is why I set-up an alternative teacher for Naruto. However, it wasn't Ebisu that I made the arrangements with. Ebisu was only to train Naruto until the more qualified teacher arrived."

"I'm flattered you think me more qualified." Jiraiya murmured.

Iruka turned to the shinobi.

"Oh no! Oh hell no!" Iruka hissed then turned back to Kakashi, "You can't be serious about this… this… pervert teaching my son!"

"Pervert?!" Jiraiya cried out, "Pervert! You make me sound like any ol' pervert! I'll have you know that I am a mega-perv!"

Kakashi face-palmed himself as he let out a groan that sound suspiciously like 'not helping'.

Iruka stared at Jiraiya.

"Get. Out."

"What?" Jiraiya blinked in confusion.

"We're leaving." Kakashi quickly replied as he grabbed Jiraiya by the arm, dragging the stunned Sennin out of the apartment.

* * *

Standing on the rooftop overlooking the apartment of a worried father and his sleeping son, Jiraiya observed the former ANBU as he kept watch over the family.

"I'm surprised that the council authorized the adoption." The long-haired Nin remarked off-handedly.

"They didn't."

"Then…"

"Once Naruto graduated, in the eyes of our laws, he became an adult…"

"And as an adult," Jiraiya continued, "Naruto can have any relations he wants as long as it doesn't compromise the safety and security of the village."

"And believe me, this bond isn't half-hearted. Iruka-san even tried formally adopting Naruto when he first entered the Academy."

"I see."

"He's right, you know." Kakashi remarked after a few moments of silence.

Jiraiya arched a brow.

"Naruto may not appear it, but he is aware of what he houses, and I suspect he also knows why _he_ was specifically chosen to house it."

Jiraiya stood tall in surprise.

"He knows…"

"Not the truth about his father." Kakashi amended, making the Sennin relax. "More likely the truth about his _mother_."

Immediately, Jiraiya paled.

"I know you sensed…" Kakashi continued, "The backlash of chakra. It wasn't just the Fox' chakra that we felt. It was also…"

"By the spirits," Jiraiya swore as he rubbed his face, "no wonder the Chuunin is pissed. I'm assuming he knows."

"That would be a safe bet that even Tsunade-hime could win."

"Kuso." The Sennin swore again.

A couple of minutes past before the silence was broken again.

"Do you think the Chuunin will let me teach him?"

"If Iruka-san had his way, not a chance in hell." Kakashi replied then grinned beneath his mask. "He _really_ hates your books; call them an affront to the literary world."

Jiraiya gapped as a pitiful whine escaped him.

"Yeah… well, he wouldn't know a good porn if it bit him in the ass!" Jiraiya hissed in indignation, causing Kakashi to chuckle a bit.

"However, on a more serious note…" The Sennin composed himself.

Kakashi gave the legendary Nin a side glance.

"I was surprised to hear from you." The older shinobi remarked. "I know that Lord Hokage had been trying to contact me for a while now."

Kakashi was quiet.

"When I got your message, I first thought that Sarutobi had gotten clever in using you to get me to deal with Orochimaru."

"I know where you stand in that regards, Jiraiya." Kakashi answered, "I would never insult you in that manner."

"I know." The long-haired ninja assured the Copy Cat Nin, "It was a passing thought, but it did strike me as odd that you would contact me to train Naruto. You know as well as I do that to help a shinobi reach their fullest potential, there needs to be a level of trust between the student and the teacher. I may be old, but I'm not blind. I know that there's a deep level of trust between you and the kid; so don't give me some bull about the council ordering you to train the Uchiha whelp. It may be a contributing factor but not the only one."

"Kabuto." Kakashi quietly answered, making Jiraiya frown.

He had heard about the Oto spy, but he had not thought that he was a match for Kakashi.

"When I confronted him at the hospital…" Kakashi paused while his arms shook with how tightly he clenched his fists, "Kabuto expressed an unhealthy interest in Naruto."

Jiraiya looked surprise at hearing the possessive undertone in the younger ninja's voice.

"He frightens Naruto more that Orochimaru does." The Copy Cat Nin whispered.

Jiraiya arched a brow. _How can a lower ranking ninja be more frightening than Orochimaru?_ The Sennin asked himself.

"I'll watch and protect him." The long-haired shinobi promised.

"Thank –"

Suddenly, the air became heavy with malevolence. A malevolence that had not been felt in almost thirteen years.

"The Fox…" Jiraiya whispered as he cast his eyes on the blonde, who had woken up.

"No; not the Fox." Kakashi corrected while watching his bundle of sunshine begin crying in his father's arms.

"What?!" Jiraiya demanded.

"There's another vessel in the village." Kakashi whispered.

"Are you certain?" The Sennin ordered.

Kakashi nodded.

"Come." The older ninja commanded. "Let's find this other vessel.

* * *

The moon rose above the ornate fish sculpture of the Crimson Koi Hotel. A lone figure sat on top of the sculpture, watching the moon's progression higher into the night sky. The moon was making Mother restless, but the figure's thoughts were not on Mother but on another female.

The other female confused him. She was not strong as her fight had proven and yet there was something about her that drew his attention. Even Mother approved of the strange female. She was pretty; he would admit that. She reminded him of the desert roses that would bloom after a rare rainfall. She even had _touched_ him when others, even his so-called family, attempt to avoid being in his presence.

Suddenly, his musings were interrupted by the presence of another. His senses told him it was neither of his siblings nor was it his sensei. It was a weak bug, of no consequence to him. He just ignored it while he returned his thoughts to his female.

He wondered if his female had healed from her battle. Despite her lack of physical prowess, he did notice a different kind of strength in her. Her conviction. Was that what drew his attention to her? Mother was chuckling, calling him foolish. So, it was not her conviction, but that was a nice added bonus.

He then thought back to when he had laid eyes on her during the second round in the so-called Forest of Death or whatever it was called. He remembered how she tried to defend herself from the other shinobi. He remembered how she sought protection and safety in _him_. The memory of her burying her face within his chest as he killed her attackers sent a strange warmth through him, making Mother purr in approval.

His Hinata must have known what he was. Most everyone knew that he was a danger, a threat. There was something in their brains that instinctively told them that _he_ was the bigger threat, and yet when he came upon the shinobi attempting to harm her, she came to _him_.

"I give up…" The bug interrupted his thoughts, "Do you ever sleep?"

A low growl emitted from his throat as he glared at the bug, who interrupted his thoughts and peace.

Even Mother was annoyed.

"What do you want…?" He growled.

"I was planning to attack you while you slept…" The bug said, "but I guess I'll have to fight you like this… so I can increase my chances of getting to fight Sasuke in the Chuunin exam… since I'm the only Sound Ninja left."

He just stared at the bug.

Mother snarled at the bug.

Normally, Mother would let him deal with bugs on his own, but the moon had made Mother restless. And he was a good son. He would let Mother deal with the bug then he could return to his thoughts of his Hinata.

"I've seen and analyzed your sand attacks…" The bug was being really annoying, "Let's see which ones quicker, your sand or my sound."

"When the full moon is out…" Gaara began, "Mother's blood stirs up…"

The bug froze as it stared at him and Mother. Fear rolled off of it as it realized that he and Mother had no equal, that the bug was no match for him and Mother.

"Wh-what on earth are you…?!" The bug screamed.


	6. Chapter 6

_**~Scroll 5~**_

In another building, which had a clear line of sight of the Crimson Koi Hotel, two figures watched as the volatile Sand Genin killed the Oto Chuunin applicant.

"Impressive, isn't it?" One of the two figures remarked, causing the other to look at him warily, "So, that's his true identity…"

"Why do you seem pleased? His victim was one of your Sound ninja…"

"It's all right." The Oto Nin replied, "He fulfilled his purpose long ago."

"I thought he was a guinea pig to test the strength of that Sasuke kid."

"Oh no, there's no longer any need for that…" The Oto answered, "In fact, I've already been given the order to capture Sasuke, but I made a… minor miscalculation…"

Baki glared at the Oto spy, who seemed so nonchalant about his error.

"What 'minor miscalculation'?" He demanded.

"Hm… they know I'm a Sound agent now." Kabuto replied with a dismissive shrug.

"Then…" Baki growled, "if they discover that we're secretly meeting here, the plot to destroy Konoha and everything else we've planned… it will all come to naught! You might be Orochimaru's right-hand man, but nonchalantly coming to me despite having been found out by Konoha… you are quite the fool."

Suddenly, the air became charged with Kaabuto's bloodlust as he stared at the Sand shinobi.

"Actually, truth be told, I wasn't found out." Kabuto stated, "I deliberately revealed myself to them. I wanted to see what the reaction from Konoha would be and even after that, I still have a plan to kidnap Sasuke."

"You Sound ninja are the ones who proposed this scheme to us in the first place," Baki warned, "but if you all continue with these blunders, we'll be forced to withdraw our support. Sand will not make our move until the very end. That is Lord Kazekage's will."

Kabuto was mildly amused by Baki's warning.

"This is the blueprint for all our plans." The Oto spy stated as he handed over the scroll, "So, pass the information along soon to your subordinates… please."

CRUNCH

Oto and Sand shinobi stilled at the unexpected sound.

"I'll take care of the cleanup…" Kabuto offered.

"No," Baki said, "I'll do it… as a gesture of our allegiance. The least we Sand ninja can do is lend a helping hand. Besides… one little mouse is no big deal."

* * *

Hidden behind a pillar, a Konoha Nin realized the danger he was in from eavesdropping on the Oto spy and supposed ally. He knew that he had to make it to Hokage Tower; he had to warn his Hokage. He immediately fled but just as quickly realized that he could not out run his pursuer.

Hayate skidded to a halt near Kikyo Castle to confront the Sand Jounin.

Baki stood in front of the sickly proctor.

"Well, well…" Baki was impressed by the Konoha Nin, "Mr. Proctor, why are you out here all alone?"

Hayate attempted to suppress a cough as he reached for his sword on his back.

"It seems I have no choice but to fight you." Hayate replied then drew his sword, and in an instant, there were three Hayates charging at the surprised shinobi.

Hayate's blade struck true, lodging itself into Baki's right shoulder. However, as he attempted to withdraw his blade from human flesh, Hayate realized he could not.

"This move…" Baki groaned, "The **Konoha Style: Mikayuki no Mai! Crescent Moon Dance!** You've mastered it… at such a young age! Leave it to Konoha to have its player lined up…

"Your blade work is brilliant… but it's a simple, obvious task to halt a physical blade… Blades of Wind, however, are impossible to stop."

Hayate watched as Baki slashed his right hand forward and then he knew no more.

* * *

It was an early morning summons; the sun had yet to crescent over the horizon. The war room was filled with nearly every high ranking Jounin and Department Heads, and in the front was the Hokage along with the two Elders. Kakashi was immediately on alert when he noticed an Elder was missing; perhaps the most dangerous Elder… But his thoughts on the missing Elder stopped when Hokage announced the murder of one of their own.

"What…? Hayate…?" Kakashi asked in shock.

"Sadly," The Hokage sighed in weariness, "his body was discovered near Kikyo Castle."

"Was it Orochimaru?" Anko demanded.

"No," Kakashi rebuttled, "we can't jump to conclusions! Hayate was trailing that traitor, Kabuto. But…" The Copy Cat Nin trailed, "it is pretty certain that Orochimaru is probably at the root of this."

"Then we should postpone the Chuunin Exams." Another Jounin with scarring along the left side of his face interjected, "And go after Orochimaru…"

"No." Sarutobi answered, "When he confronted Anko, he warned her not to postpone it. He is determined that this exam, where shinobi of allied nations, should go on."

"But… why?" One of the Elders asked.

"Orochimaru is strong enough to take down a small nation all by himself. After he deserted the village, he was probably courted by many other countries. Furthermore, he conveniently harbors deep grudges against us in Konoha, it would make any nation desire him."

"Then…" The scarred face Jounin began, "You can't mean… you think that our allies might partner with Orochimaru… and betray Konoha?"

Sarutobi did not answer.

"The treaties of alliance are really no more than verbal agreements." Kakashi commented with an indifferent shrug, "It's just like the ninja world wars of the past…"

"In any case, right now," The Hokage continued, "we've got too little information. We must not make too many assumptions…"

"We have already dispatched Black Ops units to each nation to gather intelligence," The other Elder stated, "It is imperative that we not make a single careless move. Our enemies will pounce on any such opportunity."

"I have the utmost confidence in all of you!" Sarutobi said as he looked proudly at his shinobi, "If it comes to it, we shall consolidate all of Konoha's strength and fight!"


End file.
